by Sam Crescent
The door closed, shattering her whole world.
There had been hope inside her heart that at the very least they could try to make it together.
Removing her jacket, kicking off her shoes, she sat down on the sofa.
“I guess it’s just you and me, kiddo.”
Chapter Fourteen
One week later
“Has she picked a college yet?” Logan asked. He didn’t look up from the paperwork on his desk. He was looking over the figures John, his finance officer, had given him. Seeing as he’d led him to finally have doubts about Luke’s loyalty, he’d decided to keep the man.
Everyone had a bad couple of days or months. He’d help John through his. It was new for him, but only a select bunch of people knew of the trouble John had faced, and well, working together, he saw no reason for the downturn to continue.
“No.”
Logan looked up from his paperwork to see Hunter inside his office, but also Grant. At his request, he’d demanded that Grant return.
“What do you mean no? She has had them for more than a week.”
“Yep, and so far she’s gone to three job applications as well. One was as a waitress. The other at the library, and I think she even tried for a museum,” Hunter said, taking a seat.
Grant simply stood, waiting for instructions.
“You remember Ava, don’t you?” Logan asked.
“Of course.”
“I want you to guard her.”
“Logan,” Hunter said. “Do you think that is wise?”
“Why? Because they like to fuck one another?”
“Sir,” Grant said.
“Look, I’m not trying to be a bastard. You fucked Ava at my request but I saw your dick was hard, so I don’t imagine it was such a hardship to do it. She needs looking after,” Logan said. He looked at the paperwork. In his free time, he read pregnancy books. Right now, he didn’t want to see facts and figures; he was curious if she experienced morning sickness. It could be nasty for some women, while others didn’t feel a thing, and well, he didn’t care about other women, just the one.
“Leave us,” Hunter said.
Logan waited for the door to close. “Are you the boss now? Do my men follow your orders?”
“They follow the orders they know won’t get them killed.”
“I have no intention of killing anyone.”
“What is this? I thought you wanted Grant back for a job, not for you to want to kill him in a couple of days’ time.”
“I’m not going to kill him.”
“I know you, Logan. You want to kill him dead. Don’t even pretend otherwise.” Hunter folded his arms. “You push Ava aside. Have me pretty much stalk her every move, and why?”
“Because I want to,” Logan said.
“This is guilt. You’ve got to recognize it and move on.”
“And why, do tell, should I do that?”
“If not, it’s going to kill you. We both know it will.”
“So now you know what will and won’t be good for me?” Logan asked.
“Do you have any idea how childish you sound?”
“I’m doing what is best for her!” Logan slammed the paper down along with his fist. Pain radiated up through his arm, exploding out, but he didn’t give any indication he felt anything.
Hunter didn’t move. “You’re feeling guilty.”
“I laughed at her, Hunter. I thought it was fucking jokes and lies. I was no better than those pricks. They died too easily. I had her naked in front of the guy who raped her. I’m the one who put her in front of him twelve years ago, and I did it now. Do you have any idea what it’s like? She should hate me.”
“I think you hate yourself enough for the two of you. Sending Grant to keep an eye on her, do you really think it’s wise?”
“I’m not going to give him any instruction to sleep with her. She’ll be safe.”
“Ava’s lonely.”
“All the more reason to send Grant.”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“We’ll see.”
Hunter got to his feet.
“Tell Grant he’s to keep his hands off Ava and to keep an eye on her. She wants for nothing. He’s her new best friend. Anything to do with the baby, he’s to report back to me.” He looked up. “Got it?”
“Don’t you want to deal with this? To make sure he does it properly?”
“No. You like taking control when it suits you. May as well give you full reins.”
Hunter didn’t argue with him. He got to his feet and left.
The paperwork didn’t mean anything in front of him. It was all a blurred mess with no meaning because there really was no purpose for it.
Throwing it across the room, he didn’t get any satisfaction from the mess. Collapsing back in his chair, he spun around in a circle. This had never happened to him. He was doing everything he could to protect her. Why didn’t anyone see what he was actually doing? It was all for her own good.
He wasn’t father or boyfriend material.
The pains of the past, the revenge driving in his blood, it had taken over, and the last thing he ever wanted to do was to hurt her.
Ava deserved so much more than a man like him. He killed so easily without caring for anyone. Seeing their life drain out of him, it was boring to him.
Luke’s decisions had turned him into this monster, but it was a place he also wanted to be. With this power, no one stood a chance against him.
No one.
It’s why he could never give up his crown, nor would he ever want to.
Rubbing at his temples, he wondered if Ava would fall for Grant or how she would see the new addition to her protection detail.
He didn’t just use Hunter. He had several men to keep an eye on her. She was the only precious thing in his life.
****
Ava hated violence in all forms. She didn’t like watching it on television, but having Grant in her living room, she wanted to slap Logan. She didn’t know what game he was trying to play or even if she wanted to play along.
This was unfair.
She turned to Hunter.
“No.”
“This isn’t your call to make.”
“So Logan doing his whole not caring routine thinks this is what I need? My ex who isn’t really my ex because he was playing at it the entire time. This is what he thinks I want or need?”
“Grant’s here to take care of you. You’ve been intimate together, but neither of you have permission to do so again.”
Ava laughed. “Logan’s not giving us permission to have sex. Isn’t he sweet?” She grabbed a pillow, plopping herself back down on the sofa and picking up a newspaper.
“You don’t need to find a job,” Hunter said. “Anything you want will be provided for you.”
“Really? How about the father of my child standing before me, ready for me to slug him in the face? Will he give me that?”
Hunter didn’t say a word.
“Figures.”
“He’s not going to allow you to get a job. The mother of his child doesn’t need to work.”
“The mother of his child is getting bored. There is nothing here to do, and I know I’m being followed whenever I leave.” She put the paper down. “Can you tell him I need to talk to him? Anything?”
“Logan is his own boss. He’s only doing what is right for you.”
She snorted. “Of course. Logan knows so much already. I guess he knows what I’m thinking and feeling. No, I don’t want him here. I’m sorry, I don’t.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Grant said, taking a seat on the floor. “I’m now your guardian.”
Hunter’s cell phone rang. “And duty calls.”
He left, and she was alone with Grant. She didn’t want him in her apartment or near her. He’d been working for Logan the whole time.
“You’re looking good,” Grant said.
“Spare me the caring speech,” she said. “I don’t want to
hear it.”
“You’ve gotten an attitude since we last spoke. I like it.”
She looked down at the newspaper.
“How have you been?” he asked. “I heard about the tapes.”
This got her attention. “Oh, so you know our time together in the hotel room was uploaded onto the internet for all to see?”
“They’ve been removed.”
“I bet there’s a trace of them somewhere and it doesn’t matter anyway, the damage has already been done.”
“I can’t find any.”
She wanted to be a bitch, but it was too much. Seeing Hunter and now Grant, she couldn’t help but face the truth. She missed Logan, and knowing he wouldn’t come and see her himself, it hurt and she was taking it out on anyone who dared to step in her way. It wasn’t healthy, nor was it good.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“You don’t have to apologize to me. I’ve done my fair share of crap to you. I lied to you. Hurt you.”
“It was fine.”
“It wasn’t. I only followed his orders. I did feel something for you.”
“You don’t have to lie to me, Grant.”
“But I did feel something. I was attracted to you. It’s why I wouldn’t always meet up with you at the hotel. It was bugged, and there were always cameras. I’m not a saint. I’m not even claiming to be one, okay? I’m not going to pretend there. I did feel something.”
She nodded.
“Do you feel anything for me?” Grant asked.
“No, I don’t. Did Logan put you up to it?”
“Logan didn’t talk to me. He requested my presence, but my instructions came from Hunter. It was a new experience. Usually Logan’s all over everything.”
She stood up, putting the paper to one side, and walked into the kitchen.
Grabbing a cup, she placed a teabag inside, no sugar and no milk. She drank mostly fruit-flavored teas. She filled up the kettle, the sight before her going blurry as she did.
“You miss him, don’t you?” Grant said.
She put the kettle onto the stove, igniting the flame. She wiped away the tears threatening to fall, before finally looking at him.
“What do you want from me, Grant?” she said.
“Do you love him?”
“No. I don’t … no.”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
“I can’t love a man who’d do … that to me. It’s complicated. It’s emotions. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Do you want him to notice you?”
“I’m the mother of his unborn child, so of course I want him to notice me. Why? What is with all the questions?”
“It’s Friday night.”
“You’re getting points here for stating the obvious, but again, I don’t know where you’re going with all of this.”
“He’s at his nightclub. Logan’s. It’s where he goes every single Friday night. He keeps an eye on the main club, and of course any possible deals he wants to do.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked, suspicion rising up within her.
“He’s my boss and well, I did you a wrong, and I’ve got a feeling, you both have some unfinished business with each other. The only way to resolve it is to push you both together to face it.”
“You do realize this man could kill you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“You don’t owe me your life, Grant. You were on those tapes as well.”
“I know, but I feel like I’ve got to do the right thing here. You and Logan, you’ll find out one way or the other, right?” Grant asked.
She folded her arms, staring at the man who she had once thought she cared about. “I don’t trust you.”
“That’s fair.”
“No. I couldn’t do it. No. I’m not the kind of girl to go begging for attention. Logan doesn’t want me, and I’m not going to force the issue. What is done. Is done.” She stepped around him, going to her bedroom.
She closed the door and slid down, collapsing on the floor. There’s no way she could love a man who so easily passed her up, could she? How could she count on Grant after what they’d been through in the past? It was all nonsense to her. She couldn’t trust anyone.
Even still, on the floor, touching her stomach, she did miss Logan. It wasn’t love, but it was something.
****
Grant stepped out of the apartment room.
“No,” he said.
“You’re serious, she said no.”
“She won’t go for it. Maybe in a short time.”
Hunter gritted his teeth.
This wasn’t working for his friend, nor was it working for Ava.
He had to bring them together one way or another, and he was getting tired of Logan’s mood. So far, he’d not killed anyone unnecessarily, but that didn’t mean they were going to have much longer before he snapped.
“You can’t touch her,” Hunter said. “Just be the friend she needs, but don’t lead her on, and don’t fucking take his place.”
“You guys called me, remember? What the fuck happened while I was busy?” Grant said.
“A whole load of shit that I don’t even know how to fucking fix!” Hunter ground out through his teeth. “Just do what you need to do. When I’ve got a better idea, I’ll call you.”
He left the apartment building, pissed off.
Slamming his car door, he sat gripping the steering wheel.
Logan was his best friend. His only friend. When he’d been left for dead, Logan had helped him every single step of the way. Even after he learned who he worked for, what he did, he still stood beside him, and Hunter swore a loyalty to always be there for Logan. To be the shield to guard him. He’d protect him with his very life.
No one had ever taken a chance on him before, not until Logan. He saw the pain his best friend was in. He wished he could bring Luke back just to kill him all over again, but this time, he’d go slowly, he’d make the bastard bleed.
Neither Logan nor Ava would admit their feelings for one another.
Hunter didn’t even know if they did love each other, but they had chemistry, and if he put Ava’s life in danger, Logan would come running.
He wouldn’t really go that far, but he needed Logan to snap out of whatever bullshit he was going through.
Chapter Fifteen
The beautiful, deep red dress left on her bed looked absolutely stunning. Ava wasn’t stupid. Either Hunter or Grant had left it. She’d closed the door to take a shower, and coming out, she’d seen it.
She didn’t know if she’d be able to fit into it. The material looked like it would be a snug fit.
She released the towel she had wrapped around her breasts, letting it fall to the floor. With her hands clenched into tight fists, she lifted her head. Turning to the side, she couldn’t really see if she was pregnant or not.
She wasn’t showing and could get away with wearing it. The fabric felt so lovely that she had no excuse not to try it on, at least once.
She stepped into the dress, lifting it up. She didn’t wear any panties or a bra, and stared at herself. Someone needed to do the zipper at the back.
With no choice but to go to Grant, she opened the door, stepping out. He sat at the dining room table, where he normally sat Friday nights.
It had been three weeks since he’d suggested she go to Logan’s nightclub. He’d not even offered the past two.
“Would you mind doing me up?” she asked, presenting her back to him.
“Nice,” he said.
“Oh, please, I know you put it in my room.”
“I did nothing of the sort.” He lifted the catch.
“You’re the only other person in my apartment. If anyone else got in, you’d be dead within minutes. You know Logan wouldn’t allow you to go slack on the job. How do I look?” She gave a twirl.
“Stunning.”
“I’m just going to go look.”
The dress was amazing. She didn’t feel like a slob
either. For the past couple of days, she’d hung out on the sofa, eating.
She and Logan had met up for her doctor’s appointment, but he’d not given her the time of day, instead tapping away at his phone, ignoring her.
He’d talked to the doctor, and it would be her next appointment she’d get an ultrasound to show her the baby. She was really excited.
Logan had left her, and Grant had taken her home.
Being ignored by Logan was the worst. Actually, she no longer knew what the worst experience was anymore. She hated it all.
Running fingers through her hair, she stared at her reflection and wondered if he’d ignore her now.
Would it be so wrong to go and visit him? To show him what he’s missing?
Don’t be so stupid. This is ridiculous.
It’s just a dress.
You’re pregnant.
You should be home, relaxing. Watching reruns of television programs, ordering Chinese food, and being miserable.
Folding her arms, she looked down at the ink on her arm.
Never forget.
She had gotten the tattoo as a reminder to never stop fighting. Even when people laughed in her face and thought she was lying, she hadn’t turned away or given up. She kept on fighting.
Logan, he’d pushed her to one side, but rather than take it, she had to fight back. He thought he knew what was best for her, but the only person to know that, was herself. They were not stuck on some repeat piece of music. Their past didn’t have to define them. Sure, it had fucked them each up, but she was willing to see past his flaws, if he was willing to give her the chance.
She didn’t want to be without him anymore. They had already lost so much. She didn’t want to lose anymore.
What if he doesn’t want me anymore?
What if this was all about his own feelings and not about me at all?
It’s the risk you’re going to have to take.
Lying down rather than fighting for what she wanted was no longer an option.
Soon, they were going to be parents, and she wasn’t going to spend her life waiting for him for the moments when they could see their child. She needed to be stronger for the both of them.
With a quick deep breath, she squared her shoulders and walked out to Grant. “I want to find Logan,” she said.
